Jobs today- from the Top to the Tank- Sept 12th

Word was that we’d have rain today. Diann and I ignored the forecast and worked until the rains came.

Diann’s first task was to paint the Bomar decorative hatch rims, which she had scrubbed yesterday.

Painted Bomar hatch trim ring, which holds in the screens

Afterward lunch she moved to the master bedroom and painted the inside of what we call the “foot-locker”.

Wanting to ascend the mast while the temperature was low, I set about rigging my climbing gear which is marketed as TopClimber. The system is a well made asemblige of mountaineering ascender clutches and a harness. The carrying case doubles as a tool and material bag. A dedicated braided line is attached to the jib / spinnaker halyard. As a safety line, I use the mainsail halyad (swung around the shrouds. One aspect that makes it easier is to use a snatch block near the mast base and run the bitter end of the dedicated line to a winch or cleat so that tension can be put on the line.

feet stirrups provide the foundation for movement, like a verical caterpillar

The view of Deaton’s is different from up the pole.

you can see the Jeep across the parking lot

Diann took a few photos for me to remember the experience

At the upper spreaders

.

within inches of the top, i was able to stand to photo the light

My primary goal was to assess the top most light. The anchor part doesn’t burn. My plan to is switch the upper lights to LED to conserve our battery bank, and to not have to go up the stick to change bulbs or clean corroded bulb contact ends.

Sailing / Nav lights on top; anchor light on bottomw

A view of our Gemini catamaran from up top……

Gemini view from the top

That done, I set about disassembling the hose system which was behind the toilet. And yes, it was a dirty job.

Afterward, I put a gift from Diann’s brother Junior to use. He gave us a Rockwell orbital multi-tool which has a variety of cutting blades.

the bulkhead befor removal

More had to be trimmed to allow the tank to come out

The sail locker / head bulkhead was glassed in to prevent water intrusion from panel joints. A good idea for water proofing the locker from the head. For change of hoses, however, it means using a saw to cut out the panel!

I had to cut very CAREFULLY, as the hull is at the edge of two sides and just behind the panel is the holding tank. I worked slowly and used a flashlight to know how deep the blade entered the cavity.

Once the initial “safety cut” was completed, I began cutting out the additional margin which will allow the tank to slide out.

And then the rain came. Sudden and hard. OOOOPs the tool safe lid was open. Fortunately, once the hard rain tapered off, I was able to pull the chest under our shade tarp and unload it to dry out the chest and wipe down the tools and containers.

We stopped work and went to the marina’s shower and laundry. It was only 4PM.

By the way. Remeber my doubts about the LockTite Power Grab product. My concerns were warranted. Note the adhessive having made contact with the deck and bow-panel. One dropped out as I walked on the deck this morning. The other was like a loose tooth.

note the adhesive along the deck and at the end of the bow.

Tonight’s dinner consisted of grilled rib-eyes (bought on sale), steamed broccoli, and microwaved potatoes. (now if I can just get my iPhone to talk to my Toshiba laptop, I can share the image.)

Tomorrow we have guests, from Hickory, who will visit while they are in the area. It should be a fun day. Oriental has “Music on the Porch” happening tomorrow afternoon. The event should be fun for all- if it doesn’t rain like today.

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